Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Spawned the creation of The National Consumers League in the 1890s, under
leadership of Florence Kelley
Attempted to mobilize the power of women as consumers to force retailers to
improve wages & working conditons for women workers
Identifying as consumers allowed women to take an active part in public life bc they
contributed to it
NCAA formed in 1910 revises the rules and required equipment in football so it was
safer & more honest
Basketball invented in 1891 at Springfield, MA by Dr. James A Naismith
Boxing became popular in the 1880s
John L. Sullivan became heavy-weight champion of the world in 1882
Gambling a problem. Black Sox Scandal when Chicago White Sox threw the 1919 World
Series and resulted w/ banning of some of the games most notable figures from the sport
for life
Golf and Tennis were popular for women, along with Bicycling and croquetin the 1890s and
track, crew, and swimming
Music and Theatre
Italian theatres drew on the traditions of Italian opera
Yiddish theatre built on the experiences of American Jews
Urban theatres introduced musical comedy
George M. Cohan became the 1st great creator of musical comedies in the early 20 th
century and wrote Yankee Doodle Dandy Over There Youre a Grand Old Flag
Vaudeville, a form of theatre adapted from French models, was the most popular urban
entertainment in the 1st decades of the 20th century
Had musicians, comedians, magicians, jugglers, etc
The Movies
Thomas Edison and others created the technology of motion picture in the 1880s
Short Films became available to individual viewers through peep shows in pool halls,
arcades, amusement parks, etc. eventually large projectors made it possible to see it on
big screens
By 1900 Americans were coming in large numbers to the movies
D.W. Griffith created silent films like The Birth of a Nation (1915) and Intolerance (1916)
Working-Class Literature
Leisure was important to working-class individuals bc it was a new part of their lives & it
stood in sharp contrast to the tough environments they dealt w/
Leisure time spent mostly on the streets, walking alone, in groups, watching entertainers,
meeting friends, talking and socializing
The neighborhood saloon mattered for working-class men bc they could encounter a
regular circle of friends
Often ethnically specific
Political centers and saloonkeeprs were important figures in urban political machines bc
they had regular contact w/ many men in the neighborhood
Boxing was a popular sport among working-class men bc altho they couldnt afford the big
pubic matches, they went to matches in small rings and even in saloons
The Fourth of July
In a time where people worked all the time, The 4 th of July was one of the few full days of
leisure they had
Highlights in many ethnic, working-class communities
Worcester, MA the Ancient Order of Hibernians sponsored big picnics for the Irish
working class
Irish Temperance organizations competed, offering more sober & respectable
entertainments
Picnics, games, parades, etc helped celebrate the day
Citys affluent middle class stayed away (?)
Mass Communications